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Glite Dictionary
matchbox

matchbox

11 1.0
A small box that holds matches
  • noun
  • /ˈmæʧˌbɑks/
translation icon : caja de cerillas
  • One jacket pocket revealed a book of matches, a matchbox, and a cigarette package.

Just keep it Pet worms in a matchbox, daddy.

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Examples

  • You'll find coins, barrettes, Barbie's head, Matchbox wheels, and pen caps, all of which make great playing pieces.

    Blog text (28)

  • I set the matchbox down between us.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • In this exercise, students are told to fill a matchbox with many small objects.

    Academic text (1990)

  • One by one, I picked up the pills and put them back into the matchbox.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Hmm, try this little experiment: put a matchbox on a piece of plain A4 paper.

    Blog text (1)

  • It was a child's toy, a very small Matchbox vehicle.

    Poltergeist (1982)

  • He opened the matchbox to find a few unlit matches inside.

  • She carried a matchbox in her backpack for camping trips.

  • The old matchbox was covered in dust, but it still held some matches.

Synonyms

matchbook
vsmatchbox
19 4.1

A small paper folder holding a row of matches to light things

is a rigid small container made of cardboard or wood for loose fire sticks
book matches
vsmatchbox
  • US
3.1

A small folded paper cover that holds several matches you light to make a flame

is a rigid small container holding loose fire sticks instead of attached paper ones

How Many Matches

matchbox
11 1.0
matchbook
19 4.1
match
176 1.0

Surface Forms

matchbox singular
matchboxes plural

Morphology

matchbox = match + box (transparent) = match + box

The meaning is the straightforward combination of 'match' and 'box' (a box for matches), which learners can derive from the components.

Etymology

Matchbox joins match ('a small stick used to make fire') and box ('a container'), so a matchbox is simply a small box for holding matches.